Peruvian Tilapia Ceviche

Super Easy Black Bean Cakes

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-2 green onions
-3 garlic cloves (minced)
-2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 tsp paprika
-1 can black beans
-1 egg
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan drizzle olive oil and cook the green onions, garlic, and spices in medium-high heat. Until fragrant, about 1 min.
2. In a bowl max the black beans that have been drained and washed. Make a puree and add the spices and onions. Finally, add egg and mix well, following with the bread crumbs.
3. Make mixture into patties. On a cooking pan drizzle olive oil and place patties, (drizzle a little olive oil on top of patties as well). Cook on broil for 8-10 minutes and then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Drizzle with sour cream and lemon, salsa on top, or any other topping desired. Makes about 8 little patties.

***This recipe took me literally no time to make. It was very easy and most of the stuff I had at hand. I am sure that you can substitute the green onions for a bit of regular onion. I will freeze half the patties uncooked until they are ready to eat. Great for snack. Served here with fried canned corn.***

Original inspirational recipe: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spicy-black-bean-cakes/Detail.aspx

Middle Eastern Meal

Meal: Baba ganoush, Hummus, Pita bread, steamed potatoes, fried long green peppers, fresh salad with bulgur wheat.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Eggs a la Ivonne and Petit Pois Mashed Potatoes

Meal idea: fancy fried egg, radishes, mashed potatoes with peas.
Level: Beginner

Eggs a le Ivonne

Ingredients:

-1 egg

-1 tsp butter

-Parmesan cheese

-Paprika

Directions:

1. Melt butter on a pan.

2. Fry egg sunny side up.

3. When it is almost done add Parmesan cheese on egg and a pinch of paprika on yolk.

Petit Pois

Ingredients:

-Instant mashed potatoes and ingredients (we made enough for 4 servings according to box)

-1 can of sweet peas

-Hickory bacon salt (for vegetarians and vegans)

-Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make mashed potatoes according to box.

2. Drain can of peas and add to mashed potatoes. Mash together.

3. Add hickory bacon salt, and salt, pepper to taste.

**All of these things were surprisingly good together. And it all cooked in just a few minutes!**

Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes

Meal idea: mashed potatoes, simple Cesar salad, veggy patty with caramelized red onions
Level: Beginner

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DRESSING

• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sumaq
• extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. 1

   Peel and cube potatoes and boil in water till soft (As for mash potatoes).

2. 2

   Drain potatoes add Potatoes and rest of the ingredients except dressing ingredients into a processor a whiz till smooth.

3. 3

   Note: you could mash all the potato ingredients together with a potato masher for a more courser texture.

4. 4

   Pour out into a serving plate, sprinkle cumin and sumaq and drizzle with olive oil.

5. 5

   Serve as an appetizer or as a side to meat.
6. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Mashed-Potato-With-Tahini-133629

Chicken Pasta Salad (Guest Cook)

Made by: Kristina :)
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

-Bowtie pasta

-Italian dressing

-Croutons

-Cherry tomatoes

-Chopped white onion

-Chopped green bell pepper

-Chicken breast

Directions:

1. Boil pasta until tender, add salt.

2. Cook chicken breast in lots of Italian dressing.

3. Chop chicken into small chunks. Drain pasta, and combine with all chopped ingredients.

4. Add more dressing, salt and pepper, and croutons on top.

Ahi Tuna and Greek Salad

Meal idea: Ahi Tuna, Greek salad, Rice-a-Roni of brown rice and pasta.
Level: Advanced

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

-Lettuce/ Fresh Spinach

-Pepperoncini

-Feta cheese crumbled

-Balsamic vinegar

-Chopped cucumber

-Chopped tomato

-Purple olives

-Dried oregano

-Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Add balsamic vinegar and salt, pepper to taste.

Green Bean Pasta Bechamel with Arugula Salad

Level: Intermediate

Pasta Ingredients:

-Sauce

-Green Beans

-Shell Pasta (preferably whole wheat)

-Gouda

Salad Ingredients:

-Arrugula

-Grape tomatoes

-Rice vinegar

-Salt and Pepper

-Olive oil

Directions:

1. Chop all arrugula.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

Sauced Tofu

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-Tofu

-Asian sauce

-3 tbsp Vegetable oil

-Scallions (optional)

-Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. In a non-stick pan add oil and slices of tofu. Fry for about 2 minutes.

2. Add favorite Asian sauce and continue flipping tofu until lightly fried (and you are scared to burn it. I know these are not the best instructions, but believe me, it was more like trying an error for us. Our sauce came in a frozen package and Vane couldn't stop laughing at how the blob of sauce looked in the pan, and how I had to struggle with it to rub it on the tofu. LOL.)

For this meal we had left over Asian noodles which I made a ton of. :( Then we complimented the dish with alfalfa and tofu. The alfalfa might not have been the best combination, but the tofu was perfect and came out really good.

Asian Thread Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-1/2 package of rice thread noodles

-1/2-1 bottle of Asian peanut sauce

-Soy sauce

-Frozen peas and frozen peppers stir-fry or frozen vegetable stir-fry

-Vegetable oil / sesame oil is best

-Peanuts (optional)

I was trying to do this recipe based on something I ate that our friend Danny-Lu made. But I didn't really know the recipe so it was sort of improvised.

Directions:

1. Stir-fry the vegetables with a little bit of oil and a little bit of sauce just for taste.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling water. They only take a few minutes to cook so take them out fast. Look at the package for instructions (I had to drain them in a piece of cloth because my strainer's holes were to large.) Make sure to add a little bit of oil or sauce right away or they will all clump up into a big mess.

3. In a separate large bowl, mix the vegetables with the noodles and add the peanut sauce. Add soy sauce to taste.

(In this sample I used the whole package and then some, which turned out too be waaaayyy too much. Don't make the same mistake. Good luck!)

Criollo red kidney beans

Level: Beginner
Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (we used roasted canned tomatoes)
4 cloves of garlic
Cubed chicken stock to taste (we used 1/2 Sazon Goya package)
1 can red kidney beans
Water
2 tbsp oil

1. In oil fry onion, garlic, tomatoes, and stock until onions are translucent.
2. Add can of beans un-drained and add half a can of water using the same can from the beans. Mix.
3. Let it boil for 5 minutes or until beans are cooked thoroughly. Taste for flavor.

** These beans are very simple and filling. We ate them with whole grain rice and fried green plantains. If using whole grain rice you don't have to add oil to the rice, this then becomes an even healthier option. :)

Italian hummus with tuna meddley

Italian hummus

Level: Intermediate
Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/3 cup of canned tomatoes
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons of sour cream (or more to taste)
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
Water
Salt and pepper

1. Blend all ingredients in blender. Add water if needed to help the hummus blend properly. Consistency should be thick.
2. Serve with toasted pita bread, crackers, or just by itself. (Don't limit yourself! Work with your kitchen.)

**This was just simply delicious! I like this hummus a lot better than the regular kind. Maybe because it has sun dried tomatoes. In this recipe they are a must. I also quite enjoyed the cannellini beans, and not having to worry about the Tahini(or sesame 'peanut' butter). From the inspired recipe I read that you can make this into more or less a soup if you add more tomatoes, and I think a little bit more of everything else, except the beans.**

Tuna meddley

Level: Challenging

Green fried tomatoes with ponzu sauce and apple couscous

Green fried tomatoes

Level: Challenging

Apple couscous

Level: Beginner
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable stock (in place of the water)
1 teaspoon of butter
1 medium apple (red is actually better)
1/4 cup oven roasted almonds (we roast the almonds ourselves in a small toaster oven, keep an eye on them, they roast really fast!)

1. Follow the package instructions.

**We tried the green apple but it was a little bitter. Most couscous cooks in 5 minutes.**

Curry vegetables with tofu

Level: Intermediate

Curry cream fried gabanzos with Tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt) salad

Curry cream fried garbanzos

Level: Challenging
Ingredients:
Half large onion
3 large cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (cumin seeds will also work but they are both optional)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups largely chopped cabbage
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 can of roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup of chopped red bell peppers
1/4 sour cream
1/4 heavy cream
1 1/2 cup of cooked cubed potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. In olive oil fry the onions, garlic, caraway seeds, curry powder, pepper flakes, and add salt and pepper.
2. After 2 minutes add cabbage.
3. When cabbage is translucent add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, red bell peppers (we used ones in a jar).
4. Mix sour cream and heavy cream separately (this is our version of Central American cream :}). Add to mixture and cubed potatoes. Toss everything together.
5. Let everything simmer for 5 minutes and continue adding salt and pepper to taste.

**Our wonderful cook of a mom did not like the idea, but we sure showed her because it really was great! We had it with plain white rice. My sister probably added more curry than the amount on the recipe. We don't really measure things so its hard to know. Always taste and trust your tastes buds since after all they are the ones that will be the final judges.**

Tzatziki salad

Level: Beginner
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove
1 large cucumber
1/2- 1 cup plain yogurt
Dried mint
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Spinach (to serve the salad on, optional)

1. Mince the garlic and cut the cucumber in small squares.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle olive old and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve on spinach leaves.

**We usually have this salad right on the plate, but we decided to put it on top of fresh spinach which is a staple in our meals. Believe me, once you start eating the stuff to just combine it with the rest of your meal you won't be able to stop! The spinach was great in containing the yogurt from getting all over the other food on the plate.**

Fish with dill sauce and vegetable couscous

Dill sauce

Level: Challenging
Ingredients:
Sour cream
Celery salt
Dried dill

1. Mix ingredients in slowly to taste.

**This little dip came as a last resource while my sister was trying to find something to put on top of her fish fillet. Think about the flavors in the ingredients, if you think they will go well together, chances are you'll probably like it.**

Tomato-basil egg burrito

Level: Beginner

1 whole wheat flour tortilla
2 scrambled eggs with green onions and garlic
Tomato-basil bruschetta (the picture was pre- olive oil, salt and pepper)
Cheddar cheese
Spinach

1. Fold and eat!
**Great quick dinner, breakfast, lunch, whatever!**